HTC Fires Back At Apple's New Legal Head

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The patent tussle between HTC and Apple looks like its shaping up to be a doozy, as HTC has released a formal response to the matter. Meanwhile, Apple’s legal team is facing the very recent loss of its chief patent counsel, as an HP attorney takes his spot. Just yesterday, Apple’s second ITC complaint against Apple surfaced on the ITC website, stirring a pot of what ‘til then had been a rather quiet legal battle. The complaints were with regards to “portable electronic devices and related software.”

HTC has held strong though, and today’s statement is no different. Sent direct from Taipei, here’s what HTC general counsel Grace Lei had to say: “HTC is dismayed that Apple has resorted to competition in the courts rather than the market place. HTC continues to vehemently deny all of Apple’s past and present claims against it and will continue to protect and defend its own intellectual property as it has already done this year.”

Both of Apple’s complaints are pending, and HTC has yet to back down and settle. Meanwhile, this isn’t the only issue on Apple’s plate — the Cupertino-based company is also in the midst of much more large-scale patent war with Samsung, and has been since April. It was just this year that the company’s legal beef with Nokia ended, settling a suit that lasted years. And we can’t forget about Amazon, which Apple has targeted for use of the term “app store.”

But Apple’s strategy may be changing with the entrance of a new legal boss: BJ Watrous from HP. Mr. Watrous will be replacing Richard “Chip” Lutton Junior, who has taken responsibility for Apple’s patent portfolio, according to Reuters. Watrous’ new title reads “Vice President & Chief IP Counsel,” at least on LinkedIn. We have yet to get a peek at his name plate.

OverviewHTC Corporation is a Taiwan-based mobile manufacturing company that specializes in designing and manufacturing OEM-branded mobile devices.
Founded in 1997 by Cher Wang and Peter Chou, HTC initially stood for High-Tech Computer Corporation and manufactured notebook computers.
Since launching its own brand in late 2006, the company has introduced hundreds of HTC-branded products around the world. Its …